strattan



(No Model.)

S. R. STRATTAN.

Ticket Case.

Patented Aug. 31,1880. v

Winauuax NVPETERS. momumoammgn, WASHINGTON. I10.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL It. STRATTAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OFTWO-THIRDS OF HIS RIGHT TO JOHN THEODORE STRATTAN AND WILLARD, D.DOREMUS, OF SAME PLACE, ONE-THIRD TO EACH.

TICKET-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,863, dated August31, 1880.

' Application filed June 29,1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. STRATTAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVashington, in the county of Washington and District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TicketCases or Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The object of my invention is to provide a safe and handy case forreceiving, holding, and conveying railroad-car tickets, and of such aconstruction as to permit only one ticket to be pushed out of the caseat a time.

My improvement consists in a case, a sliding drawer havinga slotted endand provided with a false bottom to receive a number of tickets, and aspring arranged within the case so as to permit the false bottom to dropautomatically when the drawer is withdrawn from the case to receive thepackage of tickets.

It also consists in the construction of a sliding drawer having acentral longitudinal slot terminating at its inner end in a verticalslot of a width less than the longitudinal slot, in combination with afiat spring, bowed, having an arrow-head arranged and adapted to work inconjunction with the sliding drawer.

Figure l of the drawings represents aperspective view of my ticket-case,showing the mode of operation. Fig. 2 is another perspective view,showing the sliding drawer with drawn and a portion of the outer caseand false bottom broken away toshow more fully the spring. Fig. 3 is acentral longitudinal sectionalview taken through the line [1 of Fig. 2.Fig. 4. is a central longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional view taken through the line 2 2 of Fig. 4, with thetickets removed. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the spring with thearrow-shaped head.

In the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, theletter Arepresents a case or holder, made of metal or other suitablematerial, of any size to suit the car-tickets used on the differentstreet-railway lines in a city. This case is closed at the bottom,sides, and at one end, but its top or lid is formed with an oblongopening, I), sufficiently large to enable the thumb or finger of theoperator to push out a ticket bypressure from the end of the case.

The letter B indicates a sliding drawer, made of the same material asthat of case A, and forms the receptacle for the tickets. This drawer isformed with vertical side and end walls and a bottom formed with acentral longitudinal slot, d, terminating short near its outer wall andat its inner wall in a vertical slot, 6, extending upwardly but a shortdis tance. The vertical slot 0 in the rear wall of the drawer is not aswide as the slot in the bottom, for the reason that I utilize thisportion of the drawer for abutting or stopping walls, to prevent theentire withdrawal of the drawer, as will be hereinafter described.Within the drawer is arranged a movable false bottom, D, slightly bentdown ward at the ends, substantially as shown in Fig. 30f the drawings.Upon this false bottom rest the tickets, which are fed upward by aspring about to be described.

The letter E indicates a flat spring, formed with an arrow-headJ,substantially of the shape as seen in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Thisspring, which may be made of any suitable material, is secured at oneend (that opposite the arrowhead) to the upper surface of the bottom ofthe case in such a manner that the free end shall rest against the undersurface of the false bottom (see Fig. .4) and the opposite sides or pro-8 5 jections of the arrow-head shall abut against the inner wall of thesliding drawer, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

The slot in the bottom of the drawer is slightly wider than .the widthof the widest o portion of the spring, (the arrow-heath) so that thespring shall have free and uninterrupted play within the drawer.

The upper portion of the front wall of the sliding drawer at Z is cutaway about the 5 thickness of a car-ticketthat is to say, to such anextent that a ticket can pass easily, even if the corners or ends areragged.

These ticket-eases will be made either of metal, thick paper, lightveneer-wood, or other suitable material, as may be deemed advisableunder certain circumstances, and of a size to suit the special ticketson a particular line.

By making the cases of light and cheap material the tickets can be putby the railroad company in packages at the value of twentyfive cents orfifty cents, or higher, to suit customers or patrons of the road.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The sliding drawer ispulled out, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the tickets placed upon thefalse bottom. The drawer is then returned to its normal position withinthe case, as indicated in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 4, the spring pressingupward the false bottom, which forces the'tickets against the undersurface of the top or lid of the case, when the case is ready for use.To remove a ticket the thumb is placed upon the ticket, as seen in Fig.1, and by the mere pressure of the thumb the ticket is shot forwardthrough the opening or space I), which is made sufficiently large toadmit the passage of a single ticket, as fully shown in Figs. 1 and 4 ofthe drawings.

My invention can also be used for visiting or business cards, and may beemployed to an advantage by railroad conductors, ticketagents, anddoor-keepers.

What I claim is- V 1. The combination, substantially as described, of acase having a flat spring attached to the inner surface of the bottomand extending lengthwise in the case, with a sliding drawer having atthe base of its inner wall a vertical slot en gaging with the flatspring,.and having a movable false bottom arranged within the drawer,whereby the withdrawal of the drawer permits the false bottom to dropantomatically to receive a package of tickets or the like, and inclosing the drawer within the case the spring will elevate the falsebottom and hold the tickets in position for being pushed out.

2. The sliding drawer having the central longitudinal slot terminatingat its inner end in a vertical slot of a width less than thelongitudinal slot, in combination with a flat spring having anarrowshaped head to prevent the entire withdrawal of the sliding drawerfrom the case, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL R. STRATTAN.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. CLARK, A. G. HEYLMAN.

